Sullied Expectations
by smartphone
Summary: "When you get here, you'll be 18 and he'll be 21." "& He just may be smart enough to look at you differently." An attempt to write a decent college AU.
1. Boy Meets Girl

"When you get here, you'll be 18 and he'll be 21."

"& He just may be smart enough to look at you differently."

* * *

"You ready man?" josh turned away from the mirror he was facing, his hairbrush was still caught on the front locks of his hair "Just a sec." he said to his roommate. During the three years they roomed together Eddie had learnt to get ready in a few seconds while josh took _all damn day_ as his roommate liked to say.

"We're late as it, man!" Eddie yelled through the door. Josh continued to primp his hair "you scared all the good freshmen are taken?" he smirked. Knowing his good looks will serve him regardless of how late he shows up.

"ITS THE HUNT!"

"So?"

"It's freshman girls who just left their homes, they probably think that college is all about sex and getting drunk! We have one night before they figure out everything is a scam." Eddie explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world " it's better than Christmas." he added, ending his argument.

"Relax, I'm done, besides I'm not going tonight to meet girls." josh lied.

"Yeah yeah, you're going to look after your cute little niece and protect her from all the bad wolves cause you're such a good guy and she's such a good girl and-"

"Lets just go." josh rolled his eyes. he was going there to protect riley, she was the most innocent creature anyone could ever think of in the history of mankind, and anyone who would try to pull something on her will be going home with a knuckle sandwich.

* * *

Josh walked into the sorority house; it was indeed full of freshman students, innocent and unaware about the bitter truth about college life. His eyes skimmed the wide room, there were many students mingling. Boys were flexing and joking, while girls were giggling loudly and spilling their drinks _accidentally on purpose_ , all as intended. Eddie nudged josh on his arm "psst.. see anyone you like?" he whispered.

Josh made a face before clearly stating that was he wasn't here to "Hunt" girls. In the middle of his speech Eddie interrupted him, claiming that josh's refusal to participate would only result in more girls for him.

"Oh, looky what we have there." Eddie pointed to a few boys who were huddled in a corner.

"Looks like we got ourselves a looker" Eddie smiled. "Pardon me my friend but this man just found his mate for the night." Eddie grinned.

Josh rolled his eyes, how could he be so primitive?

"Did you just say mate?" josh raised a brow.

"Hey, I'm thinking doggie style, what do you expect?"

"You are so disgusting."

"So they say." he smiled before joining the boys, circling the poor girl. Josh thought back to Riley and how miserable she would be in such a situation. Her innocence would attract these beasts like bees to honey; his heart began to race as he wondered if it was indeed his niece that was being hoarded by the now five men. Josh tried to pace himself as he walked to the pack, but he ended up demonstrating an awkward jog.

A familiar laugh came from the bunch and he was quick to push one of the strangers away "Riley are you o-" he stopped himself from completing the sentence. The laugh he heard was indeed familiar, except it didn't belong to Riley. No, he quietly remembers that it's been years since he heard this laugh, it would have taken him ages to match the face this with this particular sound, which would've driven him crazy. Thankfully, the girl was there in front of him, red cup in hand, dressed in a simple leather jacket with white blouse and dark jeans all sealed with leather short boots that she wore so well.

"M-Maya?" Josh stuttered, baffled that she was there in front him, all flesh, blood and bones. Riley told him that Maya had moved away back in sophomore year. He didn't expect to see here, in fact, he didn't expected to see her _ever_. Josh was surprised that he was even able to recognize her after nearly three years of not seeing her face; she was a bit taller, curvier, well adjusted, but her ocean blue eyes remained the same. He could truly understand what all the fuss was about.

"Uncle boing? Is that you?" Maya said, a little too loud, she flung her arms around him and trapped him in one of her hugs "I cant believe you're actually here!" she laughed, Josh unhooked himself from Maya.

"Maya, what are you doing here?" he really was confused as to why she came back to New York City. It wasn't because of him..was it? A more realistic thought concluded that she must've came here for riley, to help her celebrate her acceptance to NYU or something.

"I go here now, four years to go." Maya raised a glass and the boys cheered. Eddie nudged Josh "Uncle boing? You know this chick?" josh turned to looks at his friend before turning his eyes to look at Maya again

"Yeah, she's my niece's best friend." he explained

"Ex-best friend." Maya corrected, raising her cup once more, she waited to the cheer, but it never came, the boys surrounding her had seemed to lose interest once she admitted that she knows josh, in addition to seeing her throw herself at him. All except Eddie, who was even more confused by Maya's presence than Josh.

"So you are you two a thing?" Eddie asked, waving his finger between the two parties.

"No!" they both interjected at the same time. Josh tried to hide his feeling of offense to Maya's quick reaction.

"I mean I used to have a crush on him, but that was like a billion years ago." said Maya.

"Three years ago." josh corrected, a bit irritated.

"So you're fair game?" Eddie asked, a wild smirk on his face

"Fair as flowers." Maya offered, raising her cup, hinting that she was in need of a re-fill. To that, Eddie nodded eagerly before stepping in and offering to fill up her cup. As Eddie walked towards the drink's table, josh took the opportunity and grabbed Maya by the arm "can I talk to you for a second? Over there?" he said quickly, gesturing towards the kitchen. Maya raised a brow, and she stood there in silence for a good three seconds before sighing and nodding.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" Maya asked as she walked into the kitchen, there were a few open pizza boxes; she helped herself with a slice, and offers one to josh as well. He politely declines with a "no, thanks."

"Maya, what are you doing here?" he asked seriously.

"I told you I go here now." Maya answered, a bit insulted by his implication that she was lying. Josh shook his head Maya, "when did you come back? I mean, didn't you move to Alaska or something?" to his dismay, Maya laughed. Josh could tell that the girl in front him was a bit tipsy, he contemplated whether or not he would repeat what he said once again. Nevertheless Maya downsized to a few giggles before answering him.

"Alaska? Is that what riley told you, oh that's a good one!"

"What is your talking about?"

"I'm guessing she didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Like I said before, Riley and I are not a thing, not since a _long_ time ago.." Maya nodded looking into the distance, sarcastically wiping away an imaginary tear and even adding a fake sob.

"You and riley broke up?" He said, his tone louder than necessary. "Why?"

"Look, if she didn't tell you about it, maybe its best you ask her, not me." Maya shrugged. "Well I better get back, your friend looks lost without me." Maya nodded towards the stairs where Eddie looked for her as if he was following an imaginary string, too bad he was only desperately looking for her.

"That's the other thing." josh grabbed her by the shoulders "you need to stay away from that guy." josh said sternly.

Maya let out a laugh "excuse me?" she said, astonished.

"Like I said, he's no good for you, he only wants to get you into bed."

"And?.."

"And..?" josh raised a brow "that's not what you want.." he explained slowly, it wasn't what she wanted, was it?

"Oh" Maya lightly smacked her forehead, josh felt a flow of relief go through his body, she really didn't know how to hold her liquor. "I totally forgot to make my own decisions, good thing you're here to tell me what to and what not to do." Maya explained.

It took a josh two full seconds before he realized she was sassing him, his face turns a light shade of red "Maya I'm not kidding, he really just wants to sleep with you." josh said again.

"Of course he does." may raised a brow "it's just that kind of party" josh was left with a blank, Maya took in his face and sighed, "look I appreciate the concern, but I really don't need you help or anything like that." she offered,

"But-" before he could say anything Maya ruffled his hair, the hair he spent an unreasonable amount of time on to make it looked just right. Maya smiled "don't worry about me, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." she lifted her arms to show off her non-existing muscles. Josh couldn't help but laugh at her hulked facial expression.

"Uncle josh?" Josh turned to see riley standing, looking confused and hurt.

"Riley." josh awkwardly smiled. "There you are." For some reason it felt like he was doing something wrong.

"Im gonna take off, see you later." Maya nodded at him before calmly walking out of the kitchen, barely acknowledging riley.

* * *

Josh was walking riley to her dorm room, apparently running into Maya was exactly the sign Riley needed to end the night. He thought back about Maya telling him that riley had lied to him about their breakup. He wanted to ask, he really did, but riley had a sour expression that he really didn't want to engage with.

As riley reached her dorm she turned around to meet her uncle's eyes and sighed, "thanks for walking me to my room uncle josh, you really didn't have to. she said, with a tiny smile "And..sorry to make you end your night so early".

Josh made a face "Are you kidding? I was dying to get out of here and you're just the perfect reason, so in a way _I_ was actually using _you_ to get what I want." josh scoffed.

Riley offered him small laugh, "All right I'll take it/" She opened the door to her room and stepped in, josh was just about to head to his own dorm when riley had taken a step back.

"What did you and Maya talk about?" she asked, josh was still facing Riley's back, perhaps she didn't want him to see what kind of face she was making. Josh rubbed the back of him neck. He should tread lightly.

"Nothing, we just caught up on some things And stuff "T _hings and stuff?_

"Oh."

Josh cleared his throat "yeah."

"Did she say anything about me?" the way she asked the question, was if she was afraid of the answer.

Josh shook his head before realizing that riley couldn't see him. "Not really.", he lied "I just told her to be safe and stuff" to that, riley scoffed.

"Well, goodnight." was all she said before walking in and closing the door behind her.

Ok now it was killing him, he really wants to know what happened between the two of them.

"Good night, Riley."

* * *

 **AN:**

Not much to say other than it was fun coming up with this concept of Maya, Riley, and josh at the same college.

Both positive and negative comments are more than encouraged.


	2. Boy Meets Breakfast

Sometime around dawn, josh woke up to the sound of his roommate singing some sort of happy tune and he knew exactly what that meant.

Josh rolled around in his bed

"Ugh, take it outside." josh groaned.

"Outside?" Eddie said loudly "joshy iv been outside ALL night!" he exclaimed.

"your girl Maya, she. Is. Good." he slurred. That caught his attention, _good at what?_ He expected the worst but hoped for the best.

"What do you mean?" josh asked as he sat up straight and rubbed his eyes.

"What do you mean, what do you mean?" Eddie asked as if it was the most ridiculous question ever "SEX!" he sang.

Hh.

"You had sex with her?" He was annoyed by both of them, by Eddie for being a repulsive person, and Maya for falling into his trap. Does riley know about this? about her?

"No we went up to her place to play Jenga; yes we had sex!" he yelled, obviously still drunk. "you should've been there man" Eddie shook his head. "So many pussies for the taken." Eddie laughed before gagging and throwing up on the floor.

Josh sighed, "Come on let's get you some water," he said.

Josh helped his friend change his clothes and get into bed, but couldn't help himself from smelling a hint of a familiar perfume, one he had smelled once before during this same night. Josh thought that it was his turn to barf now.

The next morning josh had gotten a text from riley asking him to join him for breakfast, he was more than happy to accept her offer and introduce her to his favorite bagel place. The moment riley sat down she started to bombard him with questions about the campus, classes, professors students, clubs. Josh laughed and tried to answer as many as possible.

"So.." Josh finally started as their conversation died down. This was his chance.

"Hmm" riley raised a brow taking a sip from her cappuccino.

"You and Maya.." he smiled blandly. The moment her name left his mouth riley's face fell. "You don't have to talk about it." Josh quickly tried to assure her, his raising his hands in surrender.

Riley pursed her lips, it was obviously a touchy subject, and perhaps he shouldn't have asked her.

"t's..fine, I honestly thought Maya had told you yesterday.." she confessed.

"She said maybe it best you were the one who would spell the beans." josh assured her.

"Oh." riley said, and for a moment riley expression had softened before turning rigid again. "Well, there's not much to tell." she warned him, to that, josh nodded and took a bite from his bagel.

"I guess you can already tell, but we're not really that close anymore.." said Riley.

"No kidding." josh huffed.

"Yeah." Riley said with a small smile "we sort of had a fallout." she explained.

"I mean there was a fight of course, a big one..It's just..You know?"

 _He didnt_

"I guess."

"I mean _there_ we were, Riley Maya against the world, and all of a sudden it's just me trying to force a smile every day, it was excruciating." Riley explained.

He wasn't quite sure what riley meant.

"So what? one day you woke up and Maya wasn't there for you?" Maya's name seemed to prick riley, and she twitches the moment he mentions it. Maybe it was best to steer clear of it.

"Like I said, we had a fight." riley shook her head.

"About..?"

"Stuff." riley tried, josh could see she was struggling to let it all out, so he wasn't going to push her for the details.

"It's ok, riley you don't have to say anything you don't want to." he assured her.

"Its fine. It's just..really sad, ok?" Riley admitted.

"yeah, no more Riley and Maya." josh reminded her, but riley shook her head.

"Im talking about Maya" she corrected him, "half way through junior year she started acting weird."

"Weird how?"

"You know, skipping classes, smoking, going to parties.. It was insane."

That was an exaggeration, but to be fair riley was a little square.

"I see, and that made you uncomfortable?" josh nodded.

"It made everyone uncomfortable!" Riley said a little loudly before toning it down and recomposing herself.

"Every time I tried to make her do the right thing, she would ignore me, like she was pushing me away." she sighed. "She even started to hang out with the burnouts."

"The others didn't seem to care as much as I did, they though it was just a phase, but really? Then she started doing drugs and we all know how it goes from there." there was a hint of fear in Riley's eyes as if she was reliving those days.

"So one day I finally stood up to her, one final chance to do the right thing, an ultimatum. Quit all the bad stuff she was doing, or I would tell on her."

Josh knew where this was going

"Don't tell me you.."

"I did what was best for her." Riley said sternly "I mean I told her plain and straight quit or be caught." she tried to justify, "she was throwing her life away, throwing us away!"

"Then what happened?"

"One day she was smoking…Weed, um, in the bathroom so I told the principle, she got caught, suspended, almost went to jail.." Riley was obviously guilty over the matter.

"After that she wouldn't speak to me, I mean I tried to tell her I was trying to help her, that she was ruining her life with the drinking and the skipping and the partying, but she wouldn't budge. One day I went home and raided my room, turned it upside down trying to look for my old friendship ring, it got too small for my fingers so I didn't really wear it anymore, Maya was still wearing Her's so I figured she still cherished it." Riley ran her fingers through her hair. "So I force the tiny ring into my pinky, because it wouldn't fit in any other finger." she laughed, but it was a sad laugh, the kind of the laugh you make when you study all night for an exam, only to end up failing, it was the kind of laugh that would try to get you to accept rejection, and it was exactly that.

"-Next day I go to school and yell out 'RING POWER' like an idiot, and I tell her to quit doing illegal dangerous things, and she just...she looked at me as if I was the most idiotic thing she has ever seen." there were tears in riley's eyes and josh thought about stopping her.

"..& she looked at her hand, stares at her ring as if she forgot it was still there, like she forgot to take it off for the past 5 years, she just slips out ring and throws it on the ground, then she looks at me and tells Me 'Grow the eff up Riley' and she walks away." riley shakes her head. She rubbed her eyes and took a sip from her cup.

"That..that must've been hard." Josh tried to comfort her. Not sure whether or not riley just censored the f-word on her own.

"That wasn't the worst part" riley let out a shaky sigh. "I.. that year I was dating Lucas..& he just, He turned against me they all did...except for Farkle..Everyone took her side, Even my dad..MY DAD chose her over me, can you believe it?"

"Riley I wouldn't say chose.."

"They all told me what I did was wrong! I mean? What was the point differentiating right from wrong if you don't get to act on them, ever since we were kids..it's tell the truth, don't cheat, respect your elders...but suddenly everyone decide to get a new rule book, one I didn't know about, and it was just...it didn't make sense? In what world is it ok to steal and lie.. and do illegal activities?"

"Riley calm down.."

"And leave you and turn everyone against you she even slept with him uncle josh and it...she slept with him and it just..it was the biggest slap in the face?!" riley shook her head slowly, there were tears running down her cheeks.

"Its like she didn't care what I thought of her anymore, she didn't care about me at all, and it's all because doing the right thing was apparently the wrong thing to do at the time...and I just don't understand why...why she threw the ring that day." Riley wiped her tears quickly.

Josh didn't know what to say, it was obviously a complicated situation, but he said the only thing he could say.

"Im really sorry Riley."

It's been four days since that breakfast, and josh hadn't seen riley since then, as for Maya, he would see her on a daily basis, she would stride into his room to hang with Eddie. Sometimes they'd smoke weed, sometimes they'd drink, but they would always, _ALWAYS end_ the night with a good old-fashioned hookup.

It was weird seeing Maya sticking her tongue down Eddie's throat. He couldn't convince himself to get used to it. This was Maya he was talking about, Maya _fucking_ hart, she used to jump on his back and force hugs on him, she was the kid who would sneak out of her home and come a long way just to see him in his dorm.

Looking back, josh could see that Maya had always been a bit of a deviant. Josh mentally shook his head; she was deviant, not fucking reckless.

Not like this.

 **AN:**

Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! ill try to make this a well paced story as much as i can, so please have patience in terms of updates or developments.

again, any comments + or - are welcome.


	3. Boy Meets 3AM

One day that same week Eddie stormed into the room cursing, his cheek swollen, and his eyes red.

"Fuck, fuck her, fuck her, fuck everyone!" he yelled to no one in particular.

Josh had just finished studying and was laying on his bad, checking his phone.

"Woah, everything ok there?" he ventured.

"Fuck, fuck just fuuck? ok?" Eddie grunted as he slapped the wall.

"Ok..." josh pursed his lips, and went back to checking his twitter.

"It's Maya." Eddie explained, "She's fucking crazy!" he exclaimed.

"No kidding" Josh muttered. _She was crazy enough to fool around with you_ , he added silently.

"She's a fucking _loon_ , I mean I thought we were having a good time, you know?" Eddie breathed, "all of a sudden she doesn't want to talk to me anymore, I go to ask her what the fuck changed her mind, and she tells me not to overthink it and shit!" his voice was rising by the word.

"Me? Overthink, no! I do a lot of things joshie, but overthinking is not one of them! we both know that" Eddie faked a laugh, "So I dig a little deeper, next thing I know she's screwing some other guy, can you fucking believe it?"

Josh was shocked. He didn't know why, this could easily be filed under 'things college Maya would definitely do', But he couldn't help his brow from furrowing and his disapproval from showing, this apparently had earned him a point.

"Exactly" Eddie shouted. "I walk in on them fucking, and shit goes down hill from there, everyone is yelling and I try to get her to talk to me, but she tells me to grow a pair and get over her? Like when was I fucking under you! Well..sex excluded" Eddie reminisced for half a second.

"So naturally, I flip!"

 _Naturally_ , Josh thought.

"Her guy starts to push me out of the room, dick hanging and all, telling me to back off, like im some sort of stalker that just wouldn't leave her alone!" Eddie shakes his head, laughing.

"Can you fucking believer that?"

Josh had no comments what so ever.

"So I sweep up what's left of my dignity and leave, ten seconds after I left I see the guy leaving too."

It was probably more than ten seconds; josh found it hard to believe that Eddie would just pack up and leave.

"So I take the chance to have the final world"

 _There we go._ He was obviously waiting for her, josh had to admit Eddie does come out a bit stalker-ish in this story, but he just nodded along.

 _Naturally._

"I knock on her door, she opens it, but now that she doesn't have her fuck boy to stand in front of her she decided to play timid; can you fucking believe the manipulation, man? _Fuck_!"

"She says she's sorry, about what just happened and just couldn't keep up with me, it was her not me..shit like that.." Eddie had seemed to calm down.

"And she looked at me and I actually fell for it, you know? I felt so whipped it was pathetic of me, so for once; I tried to be the guy a girl actually wanted, said ill try my best to make her happy, and apologized if I ever tried to make her feel pressured to do anything she didn't want to do and stuff…and she shakes her head said she doesn't want to do this twice, so I lose it again I mean she was making fun of me, the bitch!" he slapped the wall again, "I felt so fucking angry I swear I would've broken her neck!" he shook his head. I really wanted to kill her right there, I swear!" he shook his head "like she would drop dead and I wouldn't care" he smiled a bit.

Josh was terrified; he didn't want to hear the end of the story anymore.

"So I try to grab her and she fucking punches me in the face, I shout and before I know it there was a crowd, I knew I wouldn't come off looking good, and I leave. For good this time"

"So you didn't kill her?" josh asked carefully

"Fuck no, she's not worth the jail time."

Josh didn't know if he should be relieved or terrified.

Now he really wanted new roommate.

* * *

That night josh couldn't sleep, he kept thinking about Maya, she wasn't 'different' as he had expected, it was like she was a whole new unrecognizable person, he could understand why Riley was so determined to pull the breaks on her, loose tracks will always cause a train wreck.

And Maya was as loose as they would come these days, so Josh twisted and turned, it was 3AM by the time he decided to give up on sleep. He opened his phone and started to check his social media. Maya had last appeared seven minutes ago.

The thought that she might be up drove away the last idea he had about sleep. She couldn't be up this hour, a lot of people check their phones in the middle of the middle of the night then go back to sleep again, it really doesn't guarantee anything,.

still…

He texted her.

 _ **Are you up?**_

It took about four minutes

 _ **Always**_ _._ She replied.

 _ **What are you doing rn?**_ No that sounded creepy josh deleted the text and tried a new approach.

 _ **A true college student i see.**_

 _ **I think the real question is what are YOU doing up, uncle boing?**_ Maya texted.

Josh couldn't help but chuckle at his childhood nickname.

 _ **Cant sleep, wanna hang?**_ Josh wrote he rolled his eyes at how really creepy that sounded. He had a bad habit of drafting his texts before actually sending them. Before he knew it a sneeze escaped him and his nose, his _fucking_ nose hit send. Josh felt panic take over his body. Blood was rushing upward and he felt his mind go blank for a few seconds.

 _ahh, what a great cause of death._

 _Embarrassment._

 ** _Cool, im at one building's art rooms (F2:5)_**

He knew there was no way she meant anything she just sent; she was inviting him to what? Hang. After she ditched his niece and dumped his roommate?

He knew texting her was a bad idea, yet here he was, wearing his shoes, digging his own grave as he went to where Maya the fucking train wreck was.

Josh had arrived at the room; the door was closed, though he could see a line of light from underneath the door.

He knocked a couple of times, and quickly regretted it opening the door in a faster manner than what was originally intended.

Maya was there, clay in hand, sculpture on table, she smiled as soon as she saw him

"Hey." she sang

"Hey." he replied simply, josh pulled down a seat in front of her so he could observe her work better.

"Whatcha making?" He asked.

"You tell me." she raised a brow, smiling.

Josh tried not to show his falter, it's been years since he'd taken a good look at her. Maya had indeed grown up into a fine looking woman, but then he remembered her insides and subconsciously made a face.

He tried to play it off as if it was his reaction to the sculpture rather than to her.

"Hmm" He took a good look at the lump sitting in front of him "It's..a..an..abstract piece, addressing the social issues of our society, you know .." He bullshitted.

Maya laughed "My do you have an eye for art" She giggled. Maya had changed in terms of everything, but Josh swore her giggle remained the same down that small hiccup at the end. He couldn't help but feel disappointed she had turned into such a troublesome person.

He couldn't really pinpoint it really, but he felt that if he was to get involved with her in any way possible he would end up like Riley or Eddie.

 _Full of regret._

His gut was screaming at him to leave this room, to run away and never look back.

"Hello." Maya waved her hand In front of him "looks like you're feeling sleepy after all." Maya noted. She was standing right in front of him now, her hands were covered in gray clay, half dried he noticed. He doubted she would touch him.

Josh shook his head.

"Im fine, sorry I..I just..spaced out for a bit."

Maya raised a brow. A habit she seemed to do quite often, josh noticed. "Yeah, ok." she said before she sat on her stool again and started to massage her clay.

"If you wanna ask about Eddie I think this is your chance." Maya said, her tone hinted annoyance.

"Actually, I wanted to talk about riley." josh admitted.

"Oh." Maya said, surprised. Suddenly she was much more invested in her artwork than she was before. "What about riley?" she asked.

"She told me about your fallout, I just wanted to hear your side of the story." josh couldn't believe he was actually asking her about this, was he inhaling some of eddies second hand weed smoke?

"I doubt there are two sides to this story." Maya commented. Her eyes on her sculpture, though her hands had stopped moving several moments ago.

"Then you've got nothing to lose." josh raised a brow, " Im not gonna force you or anything" He assured her as he started to note her hands working the sculpture again.

"Did she tell you I slept with him?" Maya asked, her eyes on the clay.

"Yes." josh answered, not knowing whether or not it was a good thing.

Maya sighed and the room was quiet for a few seconds.

"I don't regret it." Maya said, and Josh felt twinge of hurt. "The fight, Lucas, the drugs, the parties…I really think I would do everything the same way all over again."

Josh nodded and Maya sighed, raising her hand to scratch her head, but refraining as she remembered the clay on her palms.

"I guess it started somewhere during our junior year? Im not sure" Maya raised a brow. "I remember that I was going to a lot of college parties that year, riley didn't like that." Maya smiled and she finally looked at josh instead of her work for once, josh nodded.

"I remember smoking, drinking, experimenting with drugs..amongst other things.." she smiled to herself. "Everything was in the name of good fun." she reminded herself.

"But Riley wouldn't have any of it, at first I started hiding things from her, but I just felt so suffocated. Every drag I took, every sip, every kiss.. was just waiting to be judged by Riley _the great_ Mathews" Maya's voice was calm. Everything sounded so monologue-d as if she had practiced it a hundred times in front of her mirror..and who is to say she didn't.

"Its not like I didn't know what I fucking doing? I knew how to handle myself, but with her I would feel like a child, as if the whole world was black and white right or wrong good or bad, so one day I wake up, decide to stop hiding shit from her, she just had to take it or leave it..of course she couldn't let it go and went crazy on me, threatening to tattle..like we were in fucking first grade?" Maya sounded appalled but her voice was still calm as it ever was.

"So she did, and at first I was so angry at her, I felt so betrayed and 'how could she do this to me, I thought we were friends', and shit like that, you know?" Maya glanced at him. To that josh nodded. "So I shut her out…during my suspension time I had never been so relieved during my entire life." she shook her head, still working on her peace "I never really knew how suffocated she made me feel, I felt so free and I really thought I was the shittiest person on earth." She smile again, it was a sad smile, but it wasn't like the laugh riley had the other day, it was the kind of smile you make when you apologize to your mother for making her cry. Maya wasn't feeling regret towards riley, she was feeling regret towards herself, and how cruel of a person she was, but she was herself.

"After my suspension I told her to grow the fuck up." she smiled, it wasn't a sad smile anymore, but it wasn't a sincere one either.. Josh couldn't pinpoint her feelings. "And the whole situation was so fucked up because everyone had to pick sides and her own boyfriend told her that she shouldn't have done what she did, I can only imagine what a slap to the face that was." Maya wasn't smiling anymore. "It was this huge fight, the whole school was there for their breakup, then riley got bullied for tattling, and I got bullied for being..well..me, and that's that." Maya put her hands together indicating that she has also finished her model. It looked like two hands one on top of the other. Josh was impressed that she was able to make something this professional looking.

He wanted to ask her more about Lucas, but he knew that he was already on pretty thin ice. "Thanks for telling me." He managed to say. "Wow" Maya said, "I see you're taking how to make things awkward 101.″ Josh laughed a little too much.

"Man would I get an A." he laughed.

Maya washed her hands and asked him how things were with him, and he told her more than what she probably wanted to her, and things went on like that for a while before he knew it a bald headed man walked in on them, "Take you places please." he said sternly.

"Oh we're not in this class." Maya assured him, "we were just leaving.", Josh apologized and left the room right behind Maya.

"How could it be morning already." he said as he walked beside Maya.

"Time flies when your talking about what kind of supernatural creature you would be." Maya grinned.

"Oh yeah, I still can't believe you want to be unicorn, does that even classify as a supernatural being? It's just a horse with a horn!"

Maya laughed, "it's better than living off human blood like you, we live off rainbows and marshmallows…probably." She added.

"As if unicorns are better than vampires" josh scoffed, and before he knew it, he was standing in front of Maya's dorm room, she was obviously waiting for him to say something, but he just stared.

She had mud on her shirt and even some on her cheek, josh felt the need to wipe it, but refrained. She was a short girl and she was looking up to him teeth showing and all, and he fucking knew why Eddie felt hypnotized by her, it wasn't just that she was pretty, there was an aura she gave off, something that made her look that she was the best adventure anyone could ever ask for. Josh knew he was being a creep just standing there, staring.

And after enough awkward seconds of silence, Maya decided to break it.

"Did you get everything you want from me today?" she said. Her smile distracting as ever.

"Yes, that will be all of today " Josh assured her in a formal manner, to that, Maya laughed again, "well, that's good, does this mean I'll be telling you about other things some other time?"

"As long as you're up 3AM in the morning, we'll definitely have something to talk about" Josh smiled, he felt like an idiot. Like a _goddamn_ idiot, because he couldn't wait to catch her and talk to her like this again.

* * *

"Hey man where have you been." Eddie said as josh walked into their room.

"Just taking a walk." Josh lied.

"Don't you have class?" as soon as the words came out of Eddie's mouth, josh felt fatigue rush all over him and he realized that he had just pulled an all-nighter comparing the Jonas Brothers with The Beatles.

"I'm feeling a bit tired so I think I'm gonna take a little nap for now."

"Whatever you say man."

* * *

 _ **AN:**_

 **Reminder that this story was written prior to girl meets ski lodge.. so maya and josh never had the talk, and shawn did not marry maya's mom (Katy), to sum it up this fic is slightly more AU that it was.**


	4. Boy Meets Unicorns

A week later josh got a call from riley asking him for breakfast again, sure enough they met at the bagel place and caught up on things, all while simultaneously avoiding a certain topic, and chance would have it that said topic walked into the very same bagel shop.

Riley quickly averted her eyes, but Maya, Maya smiled at him and even raised her hand, offering a short wave, Josh couldn't help but smile. He and Maya had texted each other throughout the past week, and even met up with Maya in her art room a few times as well. He knew that Riley was mentally throwing darts at him, and he dreaded the moment Maya left the shop and left him alone to be questioned by riley.

"What was that?" Riley asked, a bit too anxious.

"Nothing." Josh lied.

"But she winked at you." Said Riley.

"She did not." Josh felt his face getting warmer.

"Oh my god!" riley said a little too loud "are you hooking up with her?" Riley demanded.

Josh took a breath, "If you must know" he said through gritted teeth "we're sort of friends." He knew this was a 'sucky' situation he had put himself into, and he knew none of this could ever end well, but that didn't stop him.

"How could you be friends with her? After I told you what she did to me, to us!"

"Riley calm down."

"You're taking her side over mine, oh my god, this is just like high school!" riley shook her head. "I _cannot_ believe this."

"Riley."

"This is so unbelievable..I..I" Riley looked shocked, too shocked. It worried him, and he knew there was nothing worth upsetting her this much.

"Just listen to me" josh said, "look, if you want me to break things up with her I will." He assured her.

"Really?" Riley said calmly, "you'd do that for me?"

"Of course." It was bugging him, because he felt that he was not only lying to her but to himself as well.

"Then I don't want you talking to her, ever, you don't know what she's really like." She shook her head once more. "When she dumped Lucas.. he was a mess, it was like she did things to him, he was obsessed, and from what iv heard around campus she still pulls things like that…I don't want that to happen to you." Josh sighed "We're just friends you know that, though right?"

"Yeah I do, but me and Maya were friends one day too."

* * *

After Josh returned to his dorm, he checked his phone to find a text from his friend Maya herself.

 _ **Well, that was fun! :D.**_ Maya texted.

 _ **Very.**_ he replied

 _ **Did she say anything?**_

 _ **Yes, she told me she doesn't want me speaking to you ever again.**_ Josh deleted the message and wrote _**nothing of importance**_. Instead.

 _ **Hmm...**_ Maya replied.

 **Then you wouldnt mind coming to my room later tonight?** She texted

Josh read the message over and over again before typing an _**Ok**_ , and sending it.

Josh thought about Riley's words, he thought about Eddie's, and then he thought about his own.

Could he actually obsess over her the same way Eddie did? What about Lucas, Riley said he was a miss, did she have a magical vagina or something?

Josh thought about it over and over again, and he knew he was much more stable that Eddie is, and a lot more mature than high school Lucas was; besides they were friends. _Are_ friends.

 _'_ _Maya and I were friends one day too.'_ the phrase echoed in his head until he reached Maya's room and knocked on the door.

Whether or not he should stop seeing her was up to _him_ , not Riley or anyone else for that matter, but the matter of fact here was that he was telling himself to break things off, and ignoring himself every time he does so.

Seconds later, Maya opened the door.

"Hey" she sang like she usually did.

"Hey" he replied simply as if he hadn't just put up a shield to protect himself from the infamous girl before him.

"No roommate?" Josh asked, as he walked into her room. It was his first time being there, there was nothing out of the ordinary here. Just a plain normal room he guessed. What did he expect to find? A three headed dog or something?

"Nope" she said as she threw herself on the bed. Josh sat on the floor besides her. They started talking about movies, three hours later josh found himself a little drunk and yelling about processed goods.

"Im not saying Im with them Im just saying people need the food!" Maya yelled.

"What good is food if it kills you!" josh yelled back.

"Im sorry have you tried to buy organic food anytime during the past 20 years? Seeing that you still have all your limbs and organs and Im guessing NO!"

"That doesn't even make sense." Josh laughed.

"Yes it does because organic shit costs you an arm and a leg." Maya explained.

Josh found himself crying tears of laughter "what the fuck?" after his laughing had died out he wiped away his tears, "oh, god" He sighed.

Josh doesn't remember when, but at some point Maya was sitting next to him on the floor, in front of the turned off TV, laughing. He thought back to Riley and how unreasonable she was being towards the whole situation.

Maya wasn't a bad person as one would think, perhaps people were just expecting too much of her. She pulled her knees to her chest and hid her flushed face from his. She was obviously tipsy, still giggling at her own joke. Josh looked at her messy bun and her exposed neck, he thought about leaning in and placing a kiss on her nape, but refrain on the account that it would be extremely creepy on his part, not to mention inappropriate.

And there is no about of beer that would tell him otherwise.

After Maya calmed down as she sighed, and turned to look at him.

"Josh, you ever been in love?" she asked him quietly, knees still at her chest, held by her arms, she was wearing short-shorts and a sweatshirt. A combination Josh seemed to have a liking for, when it came to Maya's closet at least.

"I don't think so.." he answered honestly. "What about you? You loved Lucas?" he gambled like an idiot, he didn't know why he said that name, why he reminded her of him, why he didn't want to hear her answer regardless of what it was.

"I..don't know." She answered, more to herself than to him, Josh felt her hesitation, and it pricked his heart more thank he thought it would, part of him wanted her to straight-out deny the whole thing, while the other was relieved that she wasn't so much like that tin-man he made her out to be. He remembered Riley's advice as she turned to look at him.

Josh stared at her, and she stared back. A full minute seemed to pass. Drunk or not, it was the most comfortable silence he had ever experienced. He couldn't believe he was going to throw away this feeling. Their faces leaned closer together more than they she should and he looked at her lips, if they felt half as soft as they looked he had nothing to worry about.

He asked himself a second time,

 _Why would he throw away this feeling?_

"I..don't think we should hang together anymore."

* * *

It was Maya who said it.

"What the fuck?" He said again.

"Where is this coming from?" Josh asked. He felt insulted? She was gonna dump him? When he wanted to dump her?

"I I just.. It's not worth it you know?" He did not.

"I really have no idea what you're saying" his blood was boiling, but then he remembered Eddie and calmed himself down.

"The look on Riley's face today. I didn't like it."

"Riley, is this who it's about? She knows you're my friend and she really doesn't care". Maya looked at him and raised a brow.

"Ok she did, but who cares? It's not like you're besties or anything, I just like hanging out with you, who cares?"

"I do/" Maya said "And Riley."

"So? You're not friends anymore, are you?" Josh knew he sounded like a dick, he blamed the beer, still, he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

"No, but I still like consider myself a decent person."

"Well that ship has sailed." He murmured

"Oh real fucking quiet." Maya rolled her eyes.

"Well I did say it out loud!"

"Fuck you."

"Whatever Maya, I don't know if you think people strike gold when they meet you, but you can't treat people like shit whenever you want and then consider yourself a decent person." He said standing up, getting ready to leave the room.

"Its not like I ever did anything to you, what? We hang for a couple of weeks and now you know me, screw you your highness." she said laughing, _and fuck him if it wasn't the most genuine laugh that ever left her mouth._

"Whatever, Im glad you're doing this anyway." Josh said as he's walking to get out.

"Yup." Maya said, as Josh walked out.

It was for the best, it really was, and it wasn't like he was in too deep for it to hurt him substantially. He played it cool, bet she expected him to freak out and cling? _Fuck. Her._

* * *

It's been three weeks since josh had spoken to Maya, he expected himself to miss her more than he actually did, but it did hurt him that this was the affect she had on him in just a few weeks, and they weren't dating, they weren't even _that_ close, but he still missed her. There were too many inside jokes that reminded him of her, too many movies and topics that will forever be linked with her.

She ruined unicorns for him.

* * *

 **AN/**

 **Thank you all for following this story and for the wonderful reviews! I know the update is a little earlier than what what anticipated (she says like it's bad news), but the chapter was already written so why not!**


	5. AN

**This is an unnecessary babble about the fic that you can totally skip, but it might give you a better understanding of what type of story this is.**

Again i would like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and for following this fic! i realize there are a few writing mistakes..but bear with me, english isn't really my first language and i try to go back and re-read the story as many times as possible so i can fix whatever mistakes i spot. your enthusiasm is what keeps me going, and as a treat i uploaded the last chapter a little earlier than what was originally intended.

originally this fic was uploaded to AO3, but i wanted to change a few details and correct whatever mistakes i could, so yeah there are a few chapters that are already written, but still need a bit of tinkering before the actual publication..

 _ **Im sure**_ that all the characters are getting on your nerves by now, but im trying to create a realistic take on everyone's main characteristics and how they would be portrayed and handled in real life, which might bother some readers (like it did on AO3), but rest assured i love _**all**_ the characters, even riley! despite how she is portrayed in the story.

im sure there are a lot of questions regarding the characters, but trust me everything will be revealed in due time. I want to build a well paced environment so that the development doesn't feel rushed & weird, so be patience and ill try my best to create a well written fic for all you GMW fans out there.


	6. Boy Meets Cigarette

It was raining and Josh was walking Riley back to her dorm, they had just finished having dinner together.

After Josh had bid her a goodnight, he turned around to roam the dorms. He didn't know why, but after three weeks, any thought of Maya irritated him, he was no longer interested in her presence, yet he managed to find himself passing by her dorm room, to his surprise the door swings open and he could've sworn that he was about to shit his pants right in front of her room.

Thankfully, the girl in front of him was not Maya, but an unfamiliar face. The girl had green eyes, long black hair and a few piercing on her ears and one on her nose.

Josh managed to release a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Can I help you?" the girl said, her voice less nasal than what Josh had imagined, her makeup was heavy and he could barely separated her eyeliner from her eye's real shape.

"No, I was just passing by" he said quietly. Hoping that Maya wouldn't hear his voice and recognize it. Josh started to walk away from the room, and apologized for the confusion.

"If you're looking for her, she's dead" the girl said loudly.

Josh felt his breath get caught mid throat.

"What?" he yelled, walking back to face the girl once again, "I said she's dead." she stated again.

"How?" Josh felt his heart race, how did he not know about this? Did Riley know? How did this even happen! Before he prepared more mental questions. The girl bursts into laughter and josh found himself staring, confused.

"I see you're still pulling that shit." Josh heard a voice from behind, a voice that he was definitely able to match with its face. He would recognize it anywhere.

"Maya!" He yelled.

"Hey." she said awkwardly.

"You're not dead?"

"Only in the inside" she offered him a small smile before passing him by and smacking her friend on the head "would you quit doing that?"

"Its fun seeing their faces." Maya's friend laughed.

"That is a good point" she agreed.

"Well then, now that I see you're not dead" Josh nodded "I guess ill see you around." Josh said awkwardly.

"yeah, See ya." Maya waved slowly as Josh walked away.

That was a two-minute emotional rollercoaster ride he didn't want to go on again. Not now, not ever.

As he walked away form Maya's room he felt the need to go back and explain that he didn't come to her room to call her up. To approach her in any way..He was just passing by, then again…from Maya's perspective it would always seem that way, considering that Josh had chosen to take the longest route to his own dorm room.

He was also expecting her to shout out after him, but it never happened, maybe he wasn't as significant to her as she was to him, and for some reason it didn't make him angry as he would of thought it would, it just made him plain sad. It was in that moment perhaps he understood why people were so fixated by her, so affected by her actions. It was because the only thing that hurts more than hate, was insignificance.

She made everyone around her feel unimportant. As if their presence was irrelevant to what she was feeling and doing, A complete lack of consideration of how her actions affect those around her.

 _Self_ -seeking.

 _Self_ -centered.

 _Selfi_ sh.

 _Self_ everything.

* * *

A few days after his last encounter with Maya he got a call in the middle of the night. It was none other than her. _Maya Fucking Hart._

Josh hesitated picking up his phone, but decided that he would regret ignoring her more than he would answering her call.

"Hello?" he said carefully. Not sure what to expect. It was 3:30AM and she had just waked him up from his slumber.

It was quiet for a few seconds "Hello?" Josh said again, he hadn't considered that maybe she dialed his number by mistake.

"I need a favor." She said quietly. Josh contemplated hanging up the phone the very second these words had left her mouth, but she sounded desperate, she _must_ be desperate, calling him rather than any other person, and for a second, Josh felt flattered before quickly rejecting the feeling.

"Name it." he sighed.

Maya was quiet. In fact, she hasn't said a word since she got into Josh's car. He wasn't sure whether or not to break the ice. Perhaps he would come off looking desperate.

It was a long 35 minute drive to the bar Maya had called him from, and even a longer ride back to their college, time goes slow when your stuck in awkward silence.

By the time they arrive back to their dorms, it was already 5ish, after Josh had parked his car, Maya eagerly opened the door "Thanks for the ride." she said quickly.

" _No problemo_ " Josh managed to say, seconds late. He wanted to sound as nonchalant as possible, and regretted speaking all together.

He could see Maya suppressing a giggle, and it irked him, it irked him that she had to do that, that she had to stop herself from laughing just so that he wouldn't get the wrong idea from her. It pissed him off and he wanted to get the final win.

Josh walked out of his car and stepped besides her, knowing fully how uncomfortable it would make both of them feel.

"Does this mean you owe me one now?" He managed to say as he walked her to her room.

"Ok, but you have to cash it in by October" Maya shrugged.

Josh looked down at her, even though he picked her up from a bar, she was sober.

They were standing in front of Maya's room "That bar.. you work there?"

"Three times a week." Maya explained.

"Oh." Josh nodded "good for you." he said, patting her head for some reason he could not, and would not think to explain. "what the actual fuck?!" Maya laughed, much to his dismay, Maya's laugh was contagious and he couldn't help himself from laughing along "See this is why I would get an A in _how to make things awkward 101._ ″ he said, and to that, she laughed.

He never realized how much he missed hearing her laugh, it was weird, how one second he resented her, the next he would adore her, all in all, the whole situation seemed fucked up to him.

He didn't want to end up as the sort of person that was like an abandoned puppy. Needy, clingy, and hungry for the love and satisfaction of others, o _f her_ , but that was exactly the sort of person she painted him out to be, and he hated it, he hated how one day he would quit cold turkey, and the next he would take a long sweet drag of the cigarette that was _Maya Fucking Hart._

Which is why he wanted to delete her existence.

 _Ignore her, ignore her like she ignores you, and the next time she calls you, you don't pick up the phone, if she stares at you, you don't stare back, even the remote idea that she would be thinking of you should not encourage you to think about her in return._

Which is why once and for all he will _erase Maya Hart._

 _Erase her._

 _Her smell._

 _Her laugh._

 _Her voice._

 _All of it_

 _Erase Maya Hart._

So why is it when she pushes her lips against his, he doesn't pull away?

* * *

Maya's lips were softer than they looked, if that was even possible, the kiss she gave him was slow and steady, it took him a few seconds to kiss her back, Josh doesn't remember when, but he had apparently placed his hands on her back, Maya slowly places her palms on his cheeks and continued to stand on her tiptoes. Quietly, carefully moving her lips against his. As if she had all the time in the world to kiss him.

Josh considered ruining the pace Maya was going for, but he knew it would devastate the sensation she was giving him, it wasn't a hungry kiss that they were experiencing, and hungry was the only kind he knew.

So what was it that was stopping him from pushing her against the door and then throwing into bed? Because he knows that was what he would do with any other girl that would make him feel this way.

 _Because he doesn't want to ruin this, that's why._

Surly enough, Maya's hand leaves his cheek and she reaches for the doorknob behind her back. She unhurriedly breaks off their kiss to breathe, opens the door and walks right inside.

"Good night." she sighed before licking upper lip and closing the door, her breath still heavy from the kiss. Maya closed the door, and Josh stood there for what he felt to be an hour before slowly saying "Good..night." and walked back to his own dorm room.


	7. Boy Meets Fight

Maya's lips were softer than they looked, if that was even possible, the kiss she gave him was slow and steady, it took him a few seconds to kiss her back, Josh doesn't remember when, but he had apparently placed his hands on her back, Maya slowly places her palms on his cheeks and continued to stand on her tiptoes. Quietly, carefully moving her lips against his. As if she had all the time in the world to kiss him.

Josh considered ruining the pace Maya was going for, but he knew it would devastate the sensation she was giving him, it wasn't a hungry kiss that they were experiencing, and hungry was the only kind he knew.

So what was it that was stopping him from pushing her against the door and then throwing onto bed? Because he knows that was he would do with any other girl that would make him feel this way.

 _Because he doesn't want to ruin this, that's why._

Surly enough, Maya's hand leaves his cheek and she reaches for the doorknob. She unhurriedly breaks off their kiss to breathe, opens the door and walks right inside.

"Good night." she sighed, her breath still heavy from the kiss. Maya closed the door, and Josh stood there for what he felt to be an hour before slowly saying "Good..night." and walked back to his own dorm room.

* * *

It was the morning of the very next day; Josh didn't know what to make of what had just happened, what _Maya_ just did. It seemed surreal, like a dream you try so hard to remember but it just keeps fading away by the second, and that was exactly what was happening here. The sensation she had given him has left his body, and all that lingered was a cocoon of anxiety, regret and wondering. A constant state of bewilderment, if what he had just experienced was a kiss, then he was kissing the wrong way all his life.

And it was all her fault.

 _Her fault._ He thought again, why would it be? Logically speaking, it was his own _goddamn_ fault for walking her to her dorm, for giving her a ride, for picking up the phone, for walking past her room the other day.. he could go on and on about this until he would reach the day where he actually met _Maya Fucking Hart._

How reasonable.

But now, all he wanted to do was go back, knock on her door and demand a fucking explanation, he knew she liked to play games, maybe he'd be falling into her play if he decided to stay put and wait for her to make the a move.

Either way, it would be her win

A week has passed and there was no word of Maya, Josh wanted to text her about the matter, but the whole thing seemed ridiculous now. If she wanted to talk to him, she would. She was Maya Fucking hart. Subtlety was not exactly her best feature.

There he was, back to square one, going through withdrawal for the hundredth time, he wouldn't have minded it so much if she was doing this on purpose, but he knew very well wasn't a very considerate girl, he doubted that he ever even crossed her mind.

By the time they reached the weekend, the entire campus was covered in a coat of pure New York snow; unfortunately the entire dormitory had lost all working electricity. Luckily this did not upset the students so much because they knew it would mean that their exams on Sunday would be cancelled.

Josh himself was in his dorm alone, with nothing to light the room other than the screen of his phone. There was a knock on the door, a reluctant Josh got up and opened the door to see non other than Maya.

"Here to kiss me and pretend it didn't happen again?" he asked, making sure his annoyance was delivered.

Maya raised a brow and answered his question with another question.

"Is Eddie around?" she asked. Josh noted her neutral feelings, which annoyed him even more.

"No." he said simply.

"Well can I leave a message?"

"No." he repeated "Its 2020, text his ass."

"Right.." Maya pursed her lips together. "Just tell him he's banned from the bar, ok?"

Josh didn't say anything.

"Oh, and by the way, it was your turn to make a move" Maya said sternly. It was dark, and Josh didn't really know what kind of face she was making.

 _Whatever._

3AM rolled around, there was still no electricity, but sure enough Eddie returned howling away the cold.

"Fuck it's cold out there, not that it's any better in here." he snorted.

"Where were you?" Josh asked.

"What are you, my mom?" Eddie shrugged his coat and boots off. He did have a point.

"Well if you must know, I was getting _some._ " he raised his hand for a high five but he never got it.

"Maya was here." said Josh. Eddie laughed."No kidding, what did she say?"

"Something about you being banned from the bar." Josh said, looking at his phone. Reading whatever his twitter feed had to offer without Internet.

"That bitch." he laughed. "That fucking bitch" he laughed again. "You know I ought to give her a piece of my mind." He said as he walked towards the door.

"What? You're going to beat her for getting you kicked out of a bar?" something he was pretty sure Eddie had deserved.

"Of course not, I'm just gonna shake her up, you know it's dark, there's no way for sure she can prove it's me. No one will know it's me."

" _I'll_ know it's you." Josh said, standing up, walking towards to door and taking a stand against his roommate.

"Oh fuck me, I knew it!" Eddie groaned, "you're just like her!"

"Who? Maya?"

"No, Riley."

"What about Riley?"

"You two are fucking narcs." Eddie said as he walked towards Josh. "The whole college knows about her little moral code, looks like it's in her blood after all, and yours too."

"Excuse me for not being criminally insane."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Eddie said as he pushed josh against the door, his phone fell from his hand and on its face. The curtains were down, their only source of light was what the edges of the window had to offer, it was overall dark, he could not make out Eddie's features anymore.

"I said you're fucking crazy." josh said sternly, before pushing him away.

Eddie had tripped on something and fell on his back, before he knew it, Josh had received a straight punch to the face, there was no time to think. All he could do was take a swing in the dark, _literally_. It took him a couple of tries but he landed a punch on Eddie's nose. Right in the middle, he guessed.

Josh could've sworn this was the most awkward fight anyone has ever had. It took them three minutes to become worn out.

Exhausted, and most likely bleeding, Josh panted. At some point, Josh's vision had seemed to adjust more and more to the darkness. He wiped his face with his sleeve, feeling the warm liquid wet the fabric, warming him up for a few seconds as he headed towards the door.

"You touch her, and I'll kill, you understand?" Josh Blew, Eddie grunted and coughed out a laugh "Which one?"

"Both of them." he said as he walked out of the room.

"Fuck you, man." Eddie yelled as josh left the room.

Josh knew exactly where to go.


	8. Boy Meets Art

After knocking on Maya's door more aggressively than necessary. There was no answer.

"Its me." he said "its Josh."

"I know a lot of Joshs." he heard her say.

"For god's sake, open the door Maya." he sighed, knocking again.

Seconds later Maya opened the door. Phone in hand, flashlight on, Josh was blinded again.

"Holy shit, what happened to you?" she asked, swinging the flashlight around his face.

"What do you think?" he grumbled, as he walked into her room. Locking the door behind him. Maya did nothing to stop him.

"You fell down a set of stairs?" she offered. Surprisingly enough Josh laughed, he laughed all the way. Now that the adrenaline had faded, his face started to ache.

Maya had set up a few candles, one in the bathroom, two in the bedroom.

"Shiiiit!" Josh groaned as he washed his face in Maya's bathroom, the son of a bitch gave him a black eye.

"Aren't you gonna tell me 'you should see the other guy'." Maya imitated josh with a heavy New Yorker accent, even though he was not actually from New York.

"Don't know, haven't seen him..we weren't exactly fighting in broad daylight." he explained. "Unbelievable" Maya snorted.

Josh started to poke at his eye "Fuck!" he winced.

"Dont do that" Maya scolded, quickly grabbing his hand. "Here, let me" Maya walked towards the tub and grabbed a towel, then headed towards the cabinet and pullet out a brown bottle.

" _sonofabitch_ " josh hissed as Maya padded the cut on his brow.

"That's gonna scar you know, you'll be one of those guys with cut brows." She grinned.

"And this entertains you because?.."

"I dont know... kind of a turn on, isn't it?" she said with a straight face, pressing the towel on his cut once again, robbing him from his chance to answer as he winced once more.

"So what happened?" Maya said she stuck a couple of Band-Aids on josh's temple.

"Eddie was being a dick, so I decked him."

"Yes, and my question whyyyyy?" Maya stretched.

"He said some things about Riley."

"Oh" Maya had seemed to look disappointed "what did he say?" She asked him quietly. he was sitting on the floor, leaning on her bed, and Maya was right next to him, knees on chest arms around her knees, just like that last time he was here. Josh wasn't sure weather she did it on purpose, or it was just a mere habit.

Either way, it was working.

"He called her narc, he called us narcs"

"I see" she says quietly.

"He also said he was gonna come hare, threaten you, and god knows what else."

Josh looked over at Maya, who had just seemed to look at the dancing candlelight that was placed next to the TV in front of them.

"You know." Maya started "This whole dark dorm room with cute guy who just got beat up sounds really cheesy."

"I do" Josh smiled "which is why I request permission to make it even more cheesy by staying over tonight"

"Are you sure you wanna stay over?" Maya asked carefully "we're gonna share a bed and everything." She threatened.

"Yeah, I really don't want Eddie showing up here, busting rhymes"

"Busting rhymes? Sounds like a code for premature ejaculation" Maya giggled, josh chuckled along as well.

"If it was, it would be perfect for him." she laughed again. Josh couldn't help himself from wheezing from the laughter; his chest hurt from the punches he received from Eddie and his Band-Aid came off from all the laughing.

It was unfair really, how much fun they have together. How good of a kisser she was. How shitty of a person she was, and how good of a person he was.

It was outmost the worst combination he'd even encounter.

After their laugher had died down. One of the candles expired, leaving a two flickers of fire to light the whole room. Maya looked radiant, when did she not.

But the scarlet light the fire was projecting blended well will her blonde hair, and blue eyes. Creating a piece of art he was so glad no one was here to see but him.

He thought about how he looked. All beat up and sweaty from the fight. He was even wearing his pajamas.

 _Nice._

"Back then you said that it was my turn to make a move."

"I did."

"Can I still make it?"

"If you insist."

Josh leaned in and placed a peck on her lips, he leaned in again and this time he planted a longer, much more passionate kiss. Maya placed her hands on his cheeks, just like she did last time.

How could he forget how she made him feel, if it was half as good as he felt now, then he shouldn't have forgotten, ever.

Josh pushed Maya on the ground and placed his lips right on top of hers. Unlike their last kiss, this one definitely carried a heavier feeling, Maya whispered his name as he moved his lips from her mouth to her ear, releasing a small moan, Maya was much more craving as he continued to kiss her again, and again, and again till either of them could no longer breathe.

Panting, Maya looked into his eyes "take it off" she whispered. Happy to oblige, josh took off his shirt and pulled off Maya's as well, he noticed her reaching for her shorts and he did the same with his PJs.

Finally they were in nothing but their underwear "do you really wanna do this on the floor?" josh asked as he placed butterfly kisses on her body.

"At this point, I don't care if we do it on the snow" she breathed, and her breath was caught in her throat as josh slipped off her panties.

"Fuck" she whispered.

"Funny, I thought this was what we were already doing" Josh commented, as he took off his boxers.

"Oh, fuck me" she groaned at his bad joke.

"Yeah, ok" he said simply, before kissing her once again.


End file.
